


I'd Fall for You

by CaptainScience



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, Rin shows Haru all the sights, incubus!Haru, losers meeting and falling in love, while Haru just hits on Rin a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-07-19 01:56:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7339852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainScience/pseuds/CaptainScience
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nanase Haruka, self-proclaimed 'world's laziest incubus,' has always taken the easy way out. Easiest meals, easiest jobs, anything to avoid exerting too much effort. </p>
<p>Too bad for him a chance meeting is about to rock his entire world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'd Fall for You

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I didn't get this done in time to submit to Haru's Birthday Bash, but at least I got it done in time for his actual birthday. Happy birthday to the world's most precious dolphin child!!
> 
> Also, I can't believe I wrote an incubus AU and it's the first thing I've posted so far with no actual smut in it. Go figure, lol. WELL. Okay. Heads up there's one... slightly smut-ish scene early on (I hope it's okay to leave the rating T because nothing actually happens, buuuut yeah), but after that there's nothing, I promise!

 

 

“Haru, have you ever, you know, thought about actually… trying?” Makoto questioned awkwardly from his seat at the bottom of Haruka’s bed, legs crossed over one another as he watched Haruka get ready.

 

“Too much effort,” Haruka mumbled back, opting not to meet Makoto’s eyes with his own, instead letting out a low, tired sigh as he glanced through his clothing options.

 

“It’s just… bottom feeders provide so little sustenance. The more you depend on them, the more often you have to eat.”

 

“So?” Haruka shrugged, still looking away.

 

“Well it’s just, it seems like a lot of unnecessary… you know…”

 

“Sex? Makoto, you’re an incubus. You can say the word,” Haruka sighed, shaking his head, finally settling on an obnoxiously tight pair of black jeans that framed the curve of his ass wonderfully and a dark, geometrically patterned, deep v-necked t-shirt.

 

“I know! Of course I can, jeez. Just… I’m just saying, if you spent the time pursuing better targets, you wouldn’t need to feed near as much. Less time pursuing skeevy, easy men would mean more time to spend on things you actually enjoy, like swimming! Or… or whatever,” Makoto paused, trying to come up with more things Haruka actually liked while idly playing with his own tail.

 

“It’s too much effort to seduce more difficult humans,” Haruka shrugged, reaching for a pair of high-top sneakers. “I’m not you, Makoto. There’s no meaning behind sex to me. It’s just food.”

 

“Ah I… I guess you’re right,” Makoto sighed, glancing over at Haruka, green eyes widening a bit with surprise. “That’s not very revealing, Haru.”

 

“Mm, got to give the bottom feeder what he wants. Apparently this is what he’s into, according to his profile.”

 

“Huh. I’m kind of surprised. Normally when they’re that desperate and repressed there’s a weird kink hiding under there,” Makoto mused idly.

 

“He’s in love with his best friend.”

 

“Oh. So it’s the best friend’s style, then?”

 

Haruka nodded, tugging on his shoes as he made his way to the door. “Probably.”

 

“Guess that makes more sense, then. So you’re heading out?”

 

Haruka nodded quietly. “Yeah. I’m hungry.”

 

“Alright, well. Stay safe! Call me if you need anything and uhm, enjoy your meal, I guess?”

 

“Yeah. Later, Makoto.”

 

\--

 

“I-I’ve never done something like this before…” The dark-haired man choked out against Haruka’s neck, teeth grazing over the clammy, deliciously soft skin of Haruka’s slender neck. “I-I swear I normally have morals…”

 

_No one has morals when an incubus is around, idiot._

 

“I don’t care, Souhei. Less talking, more fucking,” Haruka breathed out, nails digging along that bare, ridiculously muscled back, hips gyrating demandingly along that minimally clothed erection.

 

“…It’s Sousuke,” Sousuke paused, pulling away to eye Haruka, still squirming away on his lap.

 

“…Close enough,” Haruka shrugged casually before crushing their mouths together, fully aware that the quickest way to shut up a ridiculously horny human was to kiss them. Humans were weird that way.

 

They’d long ago lost all their clothing outside of their underwear, and if Haruka had his way they’d be losing that soon enough as well. He could feel that hard length beneath him, impressively large and digging into the cleft of his ass with each skillful glide of his hips. Mouths still together he reached for both of Sousuke’s large hands, the ones that had settled on his own back, half-twining their fingers together as he guided them down towards his ass, dipping them beneath the thin fabric of his boxer-briefs.

 

“F-fuck…” Sousuke choked out against Haruka’s lips, fingers digging into each of Haruka’s cheeks, spreading them apart.

 

“Hurry up, Sou. I need you…”

 

“…You shortened it to Sou because you’ve already forgotten my name again, haven’t you?”

 

Haruka paused for a moment. “Shut up and just fuck me already,” he growled, shifting his hips purposefully in want.

 

“I uh, have to go find the lube. I wasn’t exactly expecting this...”

 

“I’ll be fine.”                                                          

 

“Err, I know we just met but uh, condoms and lube.”

 

“Don’t need them.”

 

“Uh, I’m not really sure I’m into uh, bareback with strangers…”

 

“Stop making this difficult.”

 

“How is my concern for your well-being me being difficult? I may not have had a lot of sex but I’m pretty sure I’m above average...”

 

“Ugh, you are the most stupidly concerned human I’ve ever met,” Haruka sighed out irritably.

 

“…Human?”

 

Haruka’s eyes widened as he realized what he’d said, staring at Sousuke, unsure of what to do next.

 

…Maybe kissing him would work again?

 

Their awkward silence was broken by a jingling at the front door of the apartment, the door suddenly swinging open, pushed in by the shoulder of a young man, arms full of a pair of tote bags. “SO, apparently my sister, who leaves tomorrow morning so this is our last night together I may add, decided to suddenly cancel on me because she got offered last minute tickets to some martial arts competition with friends and muscles were involved and I don’t even know anymore. But! Either way I got ditched. Well, okay, I told her to go but still. SO, being the awesome roommate I am I picked up a six-pack of cola and that new shooting game you’ve been dying to play, so get ready for a night of me kicking your ass-holy SHIT,” the redhead choked out, staring wide-eyed at the pair on the couch, bags dropping to the floor with a loud thud.

 

“Sh-shit, Rin! F-Fuck, I thought you’d be gone until late and uh, I thought I’d have the place to myself and fuck I’m sorry I _so_ didn’t mean for you to see this, _ohgod_.”

 

“You,” Rin growled, red eyes narrowing in on Haruka, fists clenching. “What the _hell_ are you doing here!?”

 

“Uh… do you two… know each other?” Sousuke asked uncomfortably, attempting to awkwardly shove Haruka off his lap in a last-ditch effort to preserve some sense of dignity as unwavering red eyes meant steadfast, ocean blue.

 

“No?” “Yes!” Haruka and Rin snapped out in unison. Carefully Haruka slipped of Sousuke’s lap, climbing to his feet, standing as tall as he could manage as Rin stalked closer, staring him down. For a moment they stood there, eyes narrowed, before suddenly Rin’s hand was on Haruka’s wrist, yanking him back towards the front door.

 

“H-Hey!” Haruka snapped out. He _could_ yank his wrist away if he used his abnormal, inhuman strength, but he’d already slipped up once, so kicking this (begrudgingly hot) redhead’s ass wasn’t exactly going to work.

 

“Rin, calm the hell down. At least let him put his clothes on,” Sousuke groaned from the couch, palming at his forehead.

 

Rin chose to pointedly ignore his best friend, instead dragging Haruka to the front door, yanking him out into the hallway before shutting the door behind them. “What are you doing here you filthy demon?” Rin hissed out lowly, shoving Haruka’s hand away, arms crossing over his chest expectantly.

 

Haruka couldn’t help but stare.

 

Wait.

 

This guy knew what he was? How the _hell_ did this guy know what he was? Very few creatures could see so readily through a demon’s magic, and a human was _certainly_ not one of said creatures.

 

“I _really_ don’t give a shit how many humans you feed on because I know your kind doesn’t kill, but if you think for one damned second I’m going to let you touch _my_ human, you’re dead wrong,” Rin growled.

 

“How do you know what I am?” Haruka asked carefully, trying to keep his face bored and unreadable as he kept an even gaze with Rin.

 

In a flash the hallway erupted into light, blinding enough that Haruka couldn’t help but groan, shielding his eyes with both arms. Once the light dimmed some he forced his blue eyes back open, squinting as he looked at the man before him.

 

“Well shit.”

 

When his lazy ass had picked one of the most desperate, pathetic bottom feeders off the list, all he’d been given was a name, location, and an explanation of status.

 

In love with his best friend. Pining for a man he had absolutely no chance with. Desperately seeking love and affection and contact.

 

Nowhere had it mentioned that said best friend was also his roommate.

 

And also his _guardian fucking angel._

 

Honestly, Haruka’d never seen an angel before, at least not in person. They were rare, ethereal creatures, rarely seen and with magical abilities well-beyond those of low-level demons such as himself. Incubi weren’t the low of the low, of course, goblins and imps were much more pathetic, but they certainly weren’t fit the lick the boots of fallen angels and the like.

 

Seeing those giant, shimmery white wings, feeling that radiating heat and warmth, _smelling_ such a pure, delicious creature…

 

Honestly he was _much_ harder now than he’d ever been in that apartment, sorry Soumei.

 

“I didn’t know,” Haruka finally mumbled out, tongue darting out to lick his lips, head turning away, no longer able to keep looking at the dazzling being before him. He knew angels were beautiful, he’d heard stories, but seeing one in person… words couldn’t describe how stunning the creature was in his true form.

 

“Obviously. Now put that thing away and get out of here,” Rin snapped, face flushed and turned away as he gestured awkwardly towards Haruka’s blatantly hard crotch.

 

“You’re so beautiful,” Haruka breathed out, unaware he’d spoken aloud until irritated red eyes were right back on him.

 

“Leave!” Rin snapped, hand reaching for the door. In a flash his wings disappeared and he was human once more as he slipped back inside, leaving nothing but a lone, drifting feather in his wake.

 

\--

 

“You ran into an _angel_!?” Makoto gasped, eyes wide in shock.

 

“Yeah. Apparently I tried to eat from his human.”

 

“He was your bottom feeder’s guardian angel?” Makoto snorted, immediately feeling bad for laughing over the situation.

 

“Yeah. Apparently he’s the one the guy’s in love with, too.”

 

“Ohjeez.”

 

“Yeah. Kept me from eating, too. Had to settle for some drunk guy on the street…” Haruka mumbled, nose scrunching up at the memory.

 

“Well at least he didn’t do anything worse than that! Angels are _much_ more powerful than we are. You’re lucky to be alive. I’m pretty sure angels have free range to take care of demons as they see fit.”

 

“Mm, does this look like something a human university student would wear?” Haruka asked idly, slipping into a pair of well-fitting jeans and a loose t-shirt.

 

“Uhm… yes, I guess? I think?”

 

“You think?”

 

“Well I mean, I’m not… completely sure on what humans do.”

 

“You sleep almost exclusively with university students, Makoto,” Haruka sighed, removing the t-shirt and grabbing a different one, slipping it on and staring in the mirror.

 

“I don’t _exclusively_ feed off them. They just taste better and tend to be less… gross. As a whole. Some are still gross,” Makoto frowned. “Why does it matter, anyways? Just wear whatever your target likes.”

 

“Mm, don’t have a target.”

 

“Don’t… have a target?” Makoto repeated awkwardly, tail flicking in confusion.

 

“Nope.”

 

“Then why are you dressing up as a university student?”

 

“Because I’m going to be one for a while.”

 

“Going to be one…? Haru, _please_ don’t tell me this angel of yours is attending university with their human.”

 

Haruka shrugged. “Then I won’t tell you,” he mumbled out, switching shirts once more, brow furrowed.

 

“Haru, you can’t do this! He’s an _angel_. He could _kill_ you! Don’t you have any sense of self-preservation?”

 

Haruka glanced over at Makoto pointedly.

 

“Alright fair enough, _yes_ you do live off bottom feeders. But there’s a difference between skeevy humans and an angel! With a human you always have your magic if things get hairy. With an angel he could, quite literally, destroy you.”

 

“He won’t.”

 

“And how do you know that? Unless you were lying five minutes ago, he kicked you out and left you in the hallway in your underwear.”

 

“Mm, he didn’t kill me after I entered his territory and tried to feed off of his human.”

 

“Well yes, but he was also taken by surprise. Haru, as your friend who cares very much about you, I have to tell you this is a very, _very_ bad idea. Do I have to get Rei? You listen better to Rei when it comes to stuff like this...”

 

“I’ll be fine, Makoto. You were the one that told me to stop subsisting off of bottom feeders, right?”

 

“I said stop feeding _only_ on bottom feeders, not to try to feed off an _angel_! You’re taking things just a little bit too far there, Haru.”

 

“I’m not going to feed off him,” Haruka said with a roll of his eyes. “Being at a university gives me access to lots of potential meals. Integrate and it shouldn’t be that hard to feed at will, right? And if I happen to run into an angel, so be it.”

 

“So it’s just a pleasant coincidence you’re choosing the _one_ university this angel attends. Out of all the universities in the human world.”

 

“Mm, I already know my way around. I scoped it out when I was pursuing the human.”

 

Makoto sighed, shaking his head. “Just… just promise me you’ll be safe, Haru? If anything happens you’ll come right back. And you’ll check in, too?”

 

“Fine.”

 

“Thank you, Haru.”

 

\--

 

It wasn’t as though he _meant_ to run into the angel on his first day at the university. Sometimes these things just happened, really. Fate and all that.

 

If he just so happened to be standing outside the angel’s engineering building, idly using the bark of one of the campus’s cherry blossom trees to scratch an annoying spot in the middle of his back, well then so be it.

 

It took all of a few seconds before red eyes were on him, narrowing in irritation as the angel stalked towards him. “You! What the hell do you think you’re doing here?”

 

“Your name’s Rin, right?” Haruka asked, tail flicking in excitement. His angel was actually _here_.

 

“…What does my name have to do with anything? I asked you a question, demon!”

 

“I’m Haru.”

 

“Har- oi, I don’t care what your name is! What are you doing here?”

 

“Mm, I go to school here now.”

 

“You go to- no you don’t! Stop acting like a fool, there are humans all over here,” Rin snapped lowly, glancing around at the students milling to and from class.

 

“They can’t see me right now,” Haruka shrugged, eyes never leaving Rin. “Mm, you’re even prettier in the daylight.”

 

“P-Prettier in the- just stop! I’m leaving, and _don’t_ follow me this time,” Rin growled, face flushed, gripping the strap of his backpack hard as he stalked away.

 

Haruka stared for a moment before spreading out his leathery wings, giving them an easy shake before taking to the air, idly floating along behind Rin. “So, where are you going, anyways?”

 

“ _Oh my god_ ,” Rin snapped in English. “I _know_ you’re not deaf! What did I _just_ tell you? And humans are staring, what are you doing flying around like it’s nothing in the middle of campus? Are you crazy? Wait, don’t answer that.”

 

“They’re staring because they think you’re talking to yourself,” Haruka shrugged. “I told you they can’t see me right now.” Haruka playfully dipped down in front of Rin for a moment, wings lazily flapping, earning another growl.

 

“Stop that!” Rin snapped, only to earn quite a few more confused stares from the students milling around him.

 

Cheeks flushing Rin clamped his mouth shut, hastening his pace.

 

“Mm, are you an engineering major? That was the engineering building, wasn’t it?” Haruka hummed. “My campus map said so.”

 

“Do you _really_ have nothing better to do than stalk me around campus? I have things to do, things that don’t involve entertaining a stupidly enamored incubus…”

 

“What kind of things?”

 

“Swi- wait, why am I telling you this? Let me say this again, slower so maybe you’ll finally understand. Go. _Away_.”

 

“…Were you going to say swimming?” Haruka asked, tail swishing in excitement, blue eyes widening.

 

“Ugghhh!”

 

“You _do_ smell like chlorine,” Haruka mused with a small smile. “Also heaven.”

 

“Ew. Stop smelling me, creep.”

 

“I can’t help it. You’re the one that reeks of heaven.”

 

“I do _not_ reek.”

 

“Can I watch you swim?”

 

“No! If you don’t leave me alone, I’m going to go hide in the church or something, demon.”

 

“That wouldn’t stop me.”

 

“Go. _Away_!”

 

\--

 

In the end Haruka didn’t watch Rin swim, just like Rin’d asked of him. But he may or may not have decided to swim in the lane next to Rin, purposefully not looking over. If he couldn’t see Rin it didn’t count as watching him, right?

 

It mostly started out with him just attempting to keep pace with Rin, but after a few laps it’d become about _beating_ Rin. Rin was, hands down, one of the best swimmers he’d ever run into. Given most incubi didn’t make a habit of hitting the pool, but regardless Haruka had never been particularly challenged by his own. Trying to pull away from Rin was impossible, and by the time his limbs and lungs were burning and he knew he’d have to quit, they were both stopping at the wall, heaving for breath.

 

“Y-You’re… s-so fast…” Rin gasped out, yanking off his goggles and cap, shaking off his hair as he stared at Haruka.

 

“I-I’ve… never met someone who, who can keep up with me…” Haruka wheezed, yanking off his own goggles and cap.

 

For another few moments they just stood together in the water, catching their breaths, before Rin finally, shakily, pushed himself up and out of the pool. It took a moment for him to regain his bearings before offering a hand to Haruka, dragging him from the water.

 

The first thing Haruka noticed was how ridiculously warm Rin’s hand was, even fresh out of the water.

 

The second thing he noticed was just how damned intoxicating the mingling scent of heaven and chlorine truly was. Everything was amplified by their surroundings: by the pool, by the water, by the fact Rin was drenched and still gasping for breath. It was all his favorite things bundled together in one enclosed natatorium, and he couldn’t help but stare at the angel in want.

 

“I’m hungry…” Haruka breathed out, and immediately Rin was yanking his hand away in mild horror, eyes flitting downwards, face suddenly flushing.

 

“H-Have some self-control, jeez!” Rin snapped, hastily walking away towards the locker room.

 

Haruka blinked for a moment, staring down at his own hardness, shrugging. It wasn’t like he could control it. Incubi lived off sex, off absorbing some of the life force from others during copulation. When he was hungry, when he was _super turned on by someone able to keep up with him in the pool_ , getting hard was just, well, incubus biology. Rin was gorgeous. The angel had to know that, right?

 

Silently Haruka followed after Rin, staring at that legskin-clad ass contentedly as Rin turned the corner into the showers. “O-Oi! Don’t follow me in here!” Rin snapped.

 

“I have to follow you in here, it’s where the showers are,” Haruka sighed.

 

“Ugh, fine, just… just go take a shower on the other side,” Rin grumbled, pointing to one of the furthest away stalls in the room.

 

“Fine.”

 

Despite his love of water, Haruka kept his shower as brief as possible under the sneaking suspicion that Rin was going to try to ditch him as soon as possible.

 

Shocking to no one, by the time he redressed Rin was slinking towards the door, backpack slung over his shoulder. “What do you do after swimming?” Haruka asked, popping up behind Rin.

 

“O-Oi! Damnit, can’t you tell when someone’s trying to ditch you?” Rin groaned, slipping through the doorway, only to have Haruka meander after him.

 

“I’m just curious,” Haruka shrugged, taking to the air as soon as they exited the building, idly flapping his wings as he floated around Rin.

 

“Stop doing that! Do you ever walk?”

 

“Mm, not normally. Flying’s faster. And easier. You should take your wings out more,” Haruka hummed, drifting behind Rin to eye his back. “They’re beautiful.”

 

“I’m not taking out my wings so you can eat them,” Rin grumbled irritably. “I know they’re a demon delicacy, thanks.”

 

“Mmm, they are. But not for incubi. We eat other things,” Haruka smiled lazily.

 

Rin scrunched up his nose at the sentiment, steps picking up, though it was impossible to lose Haruka while he drifted around in the air.

 

“Where are we going, anyways?”

 

“ _I’m_ going to eat.”

 

“Mmm, I’m hungry, too…” Haruka mumbled, eyes scanning the swarm of human students roaming the campus, unable to see him behind the guise of his magic.

 

“You know what? If you’re so hungry then fine, come with me.”

 

“…Really?” Haruka asked, frowning skeptically. There was absolutely no possibility that Rin was offering to actually feed him.

 

“Yeah, why not.”

 

Silently Haruka followed after Rin, a few minutes later finding the pair of them outside a large building, full of milling students. “What is this?”

 

“Dining facilities.”

 

Haruka frowned. “I don’t eat human food.”

 

“Just because you don’t doesn’t mean you can’t,” Rin shrugged, waiting for Haruka to drop back to solid ground before wandering into the building.

 

“I don’t care about human food,” Haruka huffed, but he followed after Rin anyways, too curious not to.

 

“Have you ever even tried it?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then how do you know if you care or not? Come on.”

 

Sighing Haruka finally dropped back to the ground, waiting until none of the humans seemed to be looking before reappearing to walk alongside Rin. When they stepped into the dining area Haruka had to pause for a moment and stare. He’d never been anywhere like it before, and he was immediately overwhelmed by the mass of students and the plethora of different smells lingering in the air.

 

There were so many different scents it was almost overwhelmingly strong enough to block out his ability to smell even Rin. “So… what do we do?” Haruka asked in confusion, following closely behind Rin.

 

“You pick out what you want to eat. And since I’m a shockingly generous angel, I’ll spot you for the meal.”

 

“But I don’t know what I like.”

 

“You have to try it before you’ll know,” Rin shrugged, dipping into the line. “How about an egg and rice bowl? It’s simple enough and you can pick whatever protein you want.”

 

“Protein…?” Haruka frowned.

 

“Yeah. Fish, meat, that kind of thing. Or vegetables, if you’re like that.”

 

“What are my options?” Haruka blinked, watching the students ahead of them order.

 

“Uhm, fried pork cutlet, fried chicken, chicken thighs, beef, salmon, shrimp,” Rin paused and scrunched up his nose, “Mackerel.”

 

“…What’s so bad about mackerel?” Haruka stared.

 

“Oh, I just… I mean it’s not _awful_ it’s just pretty bland.”

 

“I want the mackerel.”

 

“…You’re just spiting me now, aren’t you?”

 

“I like its name.”

 

“You like its na- you know what, whatever you want is fine. But you don’t get to take my beef when it sucks. You only get one bowl.”

 

“Fine.”

 

Rin sighed in exasperation, quickly ordering both their meals before paying, grabbing some of the disposable chopsticks before heading for an empty, two-person table nestled off in an unoccupied corner of the dining area. Once seated he slid Haruka’s bowl over to him, along with his chopsticks, taking the moment to break apart his own set before digging into his beef bowl.

 

Haruka stared for a moment at the packaging, watching Rin before copying him, breaking apart the chopsticks and then staring. Unsure of what to do Haruka stabbed at the fish, only for it to fall apart in his rice.

 

“What are you doing!?” Rin stared awkwardly, glancing around. “How have you never used chopsticks before? You look, yanno… Asiany…”

 

Haruka stared for a moment before sighing. “Demons don’t have races, we just look however we look when we’re born.”

 

“So you have no idea how to use chopsticks, then? Well, whatever, if anyone asks you’re a Canadian exchange student that got adopted by some non-Asians that never taught you how,” Rin shrugged. He watched for another moment as Haruka attempted to impale the fish with a chopstick before sighing. “They’re not swords, Haru. You pick things up by pressing them together.”

 

Haruka stared, blue eyes widening.

 

“…What?” Rin frowned, confusion in his brow.

 

“That’s the first time you’ve used my name.”

 

“…Was it? Well whatever, anyways, you hold them like this.” Rin set down his own chopsticks atop his bowl before reaching over with both hands, fixing Haruka’s grip on the chopsticks. “You stabilize with the lower one and you move the upper one.”

 

Tentatively Haruka followed Rin’s instructions, attempting to pick up a piece of mackerel. His grip was shaky at best, but after a few tries he was triumphant, pleased with himself as he finally managed to get the fish into his mouth.

 

“It’s delicious…” he mumbled out in surprise, eyes widened as he carefully attempted to gather up another bite.

 

“…Seriously?” Rin frowned, glancing at the mackerel in distain.

 

“You just have no taste,” Haruka replied shortly, popping another bit into his mouth.

 

“Well whatever. Not my fault your demonic taste buds suck. Seriously though, what are you doing here? You’re an incubus. You don’t, you know, try to eat angels.”

 

“I’d eat you if you let me,” Haruka shrugged innocently, attention still focused on his bowl.

 

“O-Oi, stop teasing me!” Rin snapped, shoving a hunk of beef into his mouth as a much-needed distraction.

 

“…Is it teasing if it’s the truth?” Haruka mused quietly.

 

“You didn’t answer my question.”

 

“I told you, I’m going to school here. Lots of easy meals,” Haruka shrugged.

 

“So it was just coincidence that you were standing outside my building using a cherry blossom tree for a backscratcher less than 24 hours after we met?”

 

“Yup.”

 

Rin snorted. “You’re a terrible liar.”

 

They sat in silence, Rin inhaling his food while Haruka attempted to eat his, neither sure of what to say. “I was curious,” Haruka finally admitted, blue eyes glancing up at Rin. “You’re the first angel I’ve ever met. You’re nothing like I expected.”

 

Rin snorted. “And what exactly did you expect?”

 

“Mm, The opposite of you. You curse a lot. And you fluster easily. And you aren’t aggressive.”

 

“Psh, I’m not aggressive? I find that hard to believe. I threw you out into the hallway in only your underwear. And I’ve been yelling at you for the past hour.”

 

“But you never attacked me.”

 

“Why would I? You’re an incubus. Annoying, but harmless.”

 

“Mm, we’re always warned that angels hate demons. That they’ll kill them on sight.”

 

“That’s stupid. Angels aren’t _supposed_ to kill. It’s part of being one of God’s beloved children. Killing without reason leads to falling. Pretty stupid reason to fall, if you ask me…”

 

“You’re also stunning.”

 

“Ugh, jeez, not this again,” Rin groaned, distracting himself with his food once more.

 

“You are. I was always told angels are beautiful but… you’re gorgeous.”

 

“Oh shut up, it’s just your incubus nature talking. You probably think everything is beautiful if it’s edible,” Rin grumbled.

 

“I’ve had sex with more disgusting people than you could ever imagine. The dredges of human society with disturbing kinks that I have to oblige just so I don’t starve to death. It’s not like I chose to be born like this,” Haruka frowned. “You _are_ the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen...”

 

Rin paused for a moment, frowning, attention drifting back to his beef bowl. “I’m sorry. I… I wasn’t thinking.”

 

Haruka shrugged. “Food is food. Though it’d be nice if I could live off mackerel instead.”

 

“So… you just wanted to see what I’m like?” Rin asked after a moment.

 

“Mm, universities are full of easy meals. And it might be neat to get a human education, I guess?”

 

“So you were bored in Hell, then?”

 

“I didn’t think I was. But…I guess so. Yeah.”

 

“So how did you manage to just… suddenly get into this school, anyways?”

 

“Used my magic to make up records,” Haruka shrugged.

 

“Seriously? That is _so_ illegal!”

 

“What are they going to do, arrest me?” Haruka rolled his eyes. “Send me to human prison? Lose it when I just teleport right out...”

 

Rin couldn’t help but snort, shaking his head. “Fine fine, I guess you’re right. Angels don’t just break rules, but what _are_ they going to do, really? So… you picked a major then and everything?”

 

Haruka nodded. “I like drawing. Sounded like fun to sit around and draw all day.”

 

“Art majors are harder than they sound, you know.”

 

“It’s not like I’m worried about graduating...”

 

“Also true,” Rin laughed, shaking his head. “It’s weird,” he said after a moment, glancing up and then back at Haruka. “It’s weird talking to someone that knows what I am. I’ve been a ‘human’ for the last 21 years. The only other angels I ever really see are my two best friends, but they’re not guardians right now, so they’re busy up in heaven. Sometimes they drop by but… but it’s odd, having someone I don’t have to hide the truth from.”

 

For a moment Rin stared at his half-eaten rice bowl, finally shaking his head to himself. “Sorry, that’s stupid.”

 

“No it’s not. So you had a normal human lifespan?”

 

“Yeah. I have a human mom. And a human dad who died. Oh, and a human sister. Who I look a lot like, so I wonder if something higher was at play because really, what are the odds? I live a human life, keep Sousuke safe, make sure he lives out the life he was meant to live out, and then once he passes I’m free to ‘pass’ as well and go back to my true form. Which isn’t really much different than how I look right now. Just, yanno, with wings and stuff.”

 

“I wish I could see them again…” Haruka mumbled, glancing up hopefully at Rin only to be shot down immediately.

 

“Not a chance in hell,” Rin laughed.

 

Haruka stared.

 

“It’s a human expression!” Rin snapped out, shaking his head. “I don’t take them out unless I’m proving a point to sketchy incubi that have decided to show up in my apartment, or when I’m, I don’t know, overwhelmed?”

 

“…So if I overwhelm you they’ll come out?” Haruka mused thoughtfully.

 

“Yeah. I mean no! I mean, it’s not that easy and don’t. Just… just don’t try. Please,” Rin sighed. “It’s complicated.”

 

Silently Rin went back to his meal, opting not to elaborate any further. Haruka _wanted_ to press, unable to help that infinitely curious, cat-like side of his incubus heritage, but in the end he figured it best not to push it. It was already a small miracle that Rin had gone from yelling at him to feeding him in the course of a few hours. Best not to press his luck.

 

“So… what are you doing next?” Haruka asked, poking at his rice bowl.

 

“Well, I was _supposed_ to hit up the arcade to try to win my sister this exclusive plush thing from some anime she’s obsessed with that she can’t find back home, but apparently now I’m entertaining a demon.”

 

“What’s an arcade?” Haruka questioned, head tilting in curiosity, tail flicking.

 

“…You don’t know what an arcade is? Don’t you feed on humans? How have you been alive this long and not, yanno, partaken in their fun things?”

 

“I just feed and go back to Hell,” Haruka shrugged, feeling a bit irritated with Rin’s disbelief. Not everyone was assigned a job that involved them _becoming_ human.

 

“Okay okay, fair enough. It’s a place where people go to play video games. And play crane games. And take photos together and such. You go there, play games, win prizes. It’s pretty fun. There are dancing games and such as well. It’s just a nice place to hang out.”

 

Haruka stared for a moment, blinking slowly. Was he supposed to know what any of those things were?

 

Rin sighed once he realized Haruka had no clue what he was talking about, instead climbing to his feet, intent on disposing their trash. “You just have to see it to believe it, alright?”

 

“Alright, if you say so…”

 

\--

 

So it turned out that arcades were fun. Like a _lot_ of fun. Though apparently they cost money, something Haruka hadn’t really bothered with up until that point. They’d played a dance game first (which he was terrible at), followed by a fighting game (which he was, smugly, better than Rin at), ending with a shooting game where they quickly learned they were surprisingly not terrible at being teammates.

 

“Cover my left, Haru! No, I said my _left_! What are you doing?”

 

“I _am_ covering your left!”

 

“No, you’re not! That’s my right, idiot!”

 

“…Crap you’re right.”

 

“Yes, I am! Alright, so the zombies are going to come in from the left, but Kaiser Friedrich is going to be on the right, he’s the megaboss, the one that’s created the zombie army. I need you to hold the zombies back while I take him out. I’m trusting you to cover my blind spot, okay?”

 

“Y-Yeah…” Haruka nodded quickly. “Got it.”

 

“Alright, you good on ammo?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Do you want the semi-automatic or the shotgun?”

 

“The shotgun. Headshots and they go down faster.”

 

“Good boy. Alright, let’s do this. On the count of three, we jump out and it’s game on, okay? You ready?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Alright. One. Two. Three. GO.”

 

“R-Rin, there are so many of them…!”

 

“Keep shooting, Haru!”

 

“I-I don’t think I can take them all down by myself, Rin.”

 

“Well you have to! Just focus on keeping them off of me. He’s almost dead!”

 

“I’m almost dead, too!”

 

“Just a little longer Haru! He only has two hearts left!”

 

“Rin, there’s one coming up on your left!”

 

“Then shoot it!”

 

“I’m out of ammo!”

 

“Sh-shit! Just one more heart and he’ll di- NOOOO,” Rin yelled at the screen, gun dropping as his fists slammed down on the machine. “We were _so close_! I’ve never even come _close_ to getting this far with Sousuke! Ironically, also because he can’t tell his left from his right…” Rin laughed, picking up his plastic gun and re-holstering it as Haruka did the same with his. “How did you get rid of that last zombie, anyways?”

 

“I let it eat me.”

 

“…You let it eat you to try to give me another few seconds?”

 

“Mm, it made sense at the time, I was dying anyways,” Haruka shrugged, glancing around the arcade for what to do next.

 

“Awww, how sweet,” Rin grinned toothily, arms settling behind his neck. “Dying to protect me. Anyways, I should really try to get Gou her stupid toy.”

 

“Gou?”

 

“My sister. Crane games are up on the third floor.”

 

Haruka nodded quietly, following Rin’s lead as they headed towards the staircase together, making their way to the third floor. “Woah…” Haruka stared, blue eyes wide and flitting around as he attempted to take in all the colors and sounds and toys and stuffed animals all over the place.

 

“Yeah, it’s a little overwhelming. Anyways, there’s some sports anime with half-naked hot guys she wants a plushy from, they should be over there. You can wander around if you want, it shouldn’t take me too many tries. I used to win her toys all the time as kids...”

 

“Okay.” Haruka took the moment to wander the expansive floor, peering into all the different crane games. He couldn’t help but stare at the cranes full of boxes of half-naked ladies in bikini figurines as he made his rounds. There was a crane full of small, yellowish teddy bear looking things, another crane full of a cat girl… thing with a bow on her head, and another full of plushies of a really unhappy looking fried egg…creature. Shrugging to himself Haruka kept wandering, steering clear of the games that were surrounded by giggly, chit-chatting young girls as he searched for something of interest.

 

And then he found it.

 

Rin found Haruka a few minutes later, hands and face glued to the side of a crane game, staring in wide-eyed want. “Rin,” Haruka wheezed out breathily, tail flicking uncontrollably.

 

“Jeez, calm down, Haru. You’re drawing attention…” Rin grumbled, stepping closer, scowling at some confused girls as they awkwardly darted off. “Thankfully no one can see the tail right now. I hope,” Rin sighed as an afterthought, shaking his head to himself.

 

“I want one,” Haruka mumbled, pawing at the glass.

 

“You want one of these? They’re from the new Loosey-kun game, right? That’s… that’s _seriously_ the one thing in this entire arcade you want?”

 

Haruka nodded hopefully, cheek still plastered to the glass as his eyes flitted up, begging silently.

 

“Oiiii. Alright, alright. Which one of these freaky looking fish things do you want, anyways?” Rin grumbled, pulling out some coins from his pocket.

 

“Loosey-kun,” Haruka nodded. “He’s a stoplight loosejaw fish…”

 

“…You can’t eat with chopsticks and you don’t know what an arcade is and yet you can name an obscure, creepy looking fish species off the top of your head?”

 

“Don’t judge my interests, Rin.”

 

Rin snorted in amusement, shaking his head and slipping the coin into the machine. It took three times for him to snag the toy, mostly because Haruka’s face, plastered to the glass and staring at him in wide-eyed hope, was beyond distracting as Rin attempted to approximate the weight of the toy to the balance of the crane so he could snag it.

 

“Alright, here you go. One creepy looking fish, all yours,” Rin grinned, handing the toy over to a ridiculously excited Haruka, tail occasionally smacking along the edge of the crane game as he grabbed the toy.

 

“You _really_ can’t control that thing, can you?” Rin mused.

 

Haruka shook his head, clutching the toy to his chest, occasionally running his fingers over the soft fabric. “So what’s next, then?” Haruka finally asked, glancing up at Rin in curiosity.

 

“Well, normally I’d go home and get my classwork done. Then go to the store, get the ingredients for dinner. Sousuke and I split cooking duty, and tonight’s my night,” Rin shrugged.

 

“And today?”

 

“I can’t run around with you all day, Haru. I don’t have the time _or_ money to keep this up.”

 

Silently Haruka nodded, frowning slightly, eyes flitting down to stare at his Loosey-kun toy for a moment. Rin was right, of course. It wasn’t like he’d actually _planned_ to spend the day with Rin. Given, he hadn’t had any plans for the day outside of ‘conveniently be outside Rin’s building when he gets out of class,’ but it really wasn’t Rin’s job to entertain him.

 

“Err, how about I take you back to your place? I know it’ll take a lot longer than flying, but I can show you around some, maybe?” Rin asked, leading them back down the staircase and out of the arcade.

 

“My place?”

 

“Uhm… yeah? Like where you’re currently living?”

 

“I don’t have a place.”

 

“…You don’t have a home?”

 

Haruka shook his head. It was one thing to smudge school records and appear in random classes. He couldn’t just randomly kick people out of their own apartment so he could have a place to live.

 

“Then where are you staying tonight?” Rin frowned.

 

“Mm, last night’s meal was terrible because of you. It’s usually not too hard to get humans to let me spend the night,” Haruka shrugged. “Most of them don’t have a guardian angel lurking around,” Haruka added pointedly.

 

“…Are you seriously just going to be homeless and crash in strangers’ houses?”

 

“It’ll work.”

 

“I…” Rin sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re crazy, you know.”

 

“It’s not like humans can really hurt me.”

 

“Well yeah but it’s, yanno… gross.”

 

“I’m an incubus, it’s what I do.”

 

“But like! I don’t… I get it, that you have to live off of… off stuff like that. But you don’t _have_ to feed every night, right? I know that some incubi can like, they can eat once every few weeks and be fine. So you’d be choosing to let random people… do stuff with you just so you’re not homeless. And that’s not right…” Rin sighed, scratching idly at the back of his neck. “It’s like prostitution, basically…”

 

“How long we can go between meals depends entirely on the strength of our meal’s lifeforce. Happy, healthy, fit, content people produce better, much more substantial meals. Miserable bottom feeders don’t.”

 

“So Sousuke’s miserable, then?”

 

Haruka shrugged. “It’s not your fault he’s in love with you.”

 

“O-Oi, don’t say it out loud! I know he’s human but like… it’s weird. He’s my best friend down here, _and_ my human charge. It’s like some awkward form of incest,” Rin groaned. “I don’t know how to help him get over it.”

 

“Mmm, humans sort through these things on their own, I think. Eventually he’ll move on. They always do. They’re surprisingly resilient creatures.”

 

“I guess you’re right. So you’re just… you’re just going to go find someone to uh, do stuff with, then?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Well uhm, alright. I guess. So you’re leaving now, then?”

 

“Well I doubt you’ll let me follow you home. Or feed on your roommate, so.”

 

“Ew, no.”

 

“I figured as much.”

 

“So then this is good bye?”

 

Haruka shrugged. “For today, yeah.”

 

For an awkward moment they stopped walking, staring at one another, struggling to find anything else to say. Suddenly Rin was reaching out, grabbing the Loosey-kun plushy from Haruka’s hands.

 

Haruka blinked slowly, staring in mild confusion, watching as Rin’s face flushed.

 

“He shouldn’t have to yanno, watch you do… that. So I’ll hold on to him for tonight. But if you want to come get him you uh, know where I live. I’ll leave my window open, since you can just fly in. And I have a futon so you know… you two could share. If you want. Just don’t let Sousuke see you. And don’t try anything funny, either!” Rin snapped.

 

“Really?” Haruka asked, eyes wide in surprise, tail swishing in excitement.

 

“Yeah. And turn your tail off!” Rin grumbled before turning on his heels and marching away, Loosey-kun in hand.

 

For a moment Haruka just stared, watching Rin’s ass as the redhead stormed away, tail flicking in excitement.

 

How in the hell had he gone from Rin throwing him out in his underwear to being _personally_ invited into Rin’s home? His _bedroom_?

 

This was, quite possibly, the best day ever.

 

Now to find a meal.

 

\--

 

By the time Haruka finished up and found himself on the ledge of Rin’s bedroom window, it was rapidly approaching midnight. He hadn’t really intended to take so long, but for some reason he hadn’t really wanted to ‘settle’ today, instead attempting to find a more suitable, less ‘easy’ meal than usual. He had to somewhat admit that Makoto was right; better meals really _were_ a lot more filling. He felt lazy, content, and just shy of overstuffed as he settled onto the window sill, carefully pushing aside the partially closed blinds, blue eyes scanning the dark room for Rin.

 

Haruka felt almost like a voyeur as his eyes settled on the obvious lump buried under the blankets, cuddled with a mound of pillows. His first instinct was to go invade Rin’s personal space, but then he looked at the floor and realized that Rin had kept his promise. There was indeed a futon spread out on the ground alongside Rin’s bed, covered with a warm-looking blanket, a pillow, and the Loosey-kun plushy, tucked in under the blankets.

 

“Nghhh… Haru? S’that you?” Rin mumbled out, shifting underneath the blanket pile, head peeking out from under the mound of fabric.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Mmmm, okay. Just make sure to leave before Sousuke gets up…”

 

Haruka blinked in surprise when Rin ducked back under the blanket without saying anything more, snuggling in close with his pillow.

 

Was Rin really just going to let him… sleep there? Like it was nothing? He _was_ a demon, after all. Given he was a very well-fed one currently, but still.

 

Carefully Haruka hopped down from the windowsill, tucking his wings in close, shutting the blinds before wandering over to the futon. For a moment he just stood there, blue eyes shifting back and forth between Rin and his makeshift bed, finally settling on just… going to sleep. If Rin was going to let him and it saved him from having to share a bed with a stranger he’d just had (rowdy) sex with, then he wasn’t going to say no.

 

Quietly Haruka stripped off his clothes before climbing under the futon’s covers, dragging Loosey-kun to his chest.

 

\--

 

“Oh my _god_ , are you _naked_!?”

 

Haruka groaned tiredly, reaching out blindly for the sheets, attempting to drag them over his head, too tired to realize that the blanket couldn’t block out sound.

 

“Holyshit, cover yourself up! What is _wrong_ with you!? Where are your clothes!?”

 

“So noisy…” Haruka whined, groping for his pillow, using it to cover his head.

 

“Stop covering your face and cover your dick instead, jeez!”

 

Haruka groaned when he felt a pillow smack him in the thigh, reluctantly removing both pillow and blankets to give Rin a bleary-eyed, incredulous stare. “Why are you being so loud?”

 

“Because I didn’t volunteer to see your penis, fuck!”

 

Haruka blinked for a moment, finally glancing down, staring for a moment before realizing that he had, in fact, rolled onto his back in his sleep. And had perhaps shifted the blanket just a smidge.

 

Okay, okay. Maybe a bit… _more_ than a smidge.

 

So perhaps he was flashing Rin his morning wood.

 

Well! Well. Shit happened.

 

Grumbling Haruka rolled over onto his side, groping for his pillow once more, nuzzling his face right back into it.

 

“Oh my god, how is that supposed to be better? Now I can see your ass!”

 

“Nghh, so stingy…” Haruka mumbled irritably. “It’s just a butt.”

 

“Jesus Christ Rin, it’s 6 a.m. What the hell are you doing screaming like a banshee?”

 

Rin hissed out a low “shit” at the sound of his roommate at the door, glancing over at Haruka nervously. “F-Fuck! Sorry, Sousuke. It’s nothing just… go back to sleep, I’ll shut up.”

 

“You better. We’re going to get neighbor complaints if you don’t stop freaking out.”

 

“I know I know! Sorry, just-just go away, Sousuke!” Rin hissed.

 

“Uh… are you okay, Rin?” Sousuke asked, voice lowering in concern.

 

“I-I’m fine! I just… I just uhm… I just smacked my foot into the leg of my bed and it hurt like a bitch! You know screaming and cursing is how I deal with pain.”

 

“Mm, true. Well whatever, I’m going back to bed, it’s way too early for anyone to be up…”

 

“Lazy ass.”

 

“Yeah yeah, whatever.”

 

Rin sighed in relief as soon as Sousuke’s footsteps disappeared down the hallway, eyes drifting back to Haruka only to immediately flit away. “Seriously, cover your ass, Haru.”

 

“Are all angels this prudish?” Haruka grumbled, reluctantly reaching down with a sleepy hand to grab at his blanket, dragging it over his hips.

 

“Yes! We’re angels, we don’t like… we don’t just sit around naked or... or… whatever. Things like that are meant to be seen only by a lover!”

 

“Mm, what if you accidentally see someone in the showers at the gym?” Haruka mused aloud, glancing sleepily over at Rin.

 

“Well, that’s an accident. And it’s not like you stare when you accidentally see someone at a gym. No one’s wandering around the gym with their half-hard dick sticking out, you know.”

 

“Maybe not at your gym.”

 

“I do _not_ want to know what happens in Hell,” Rin snapped, grabbing his second pillow and chucking it at Haruka’s head.

 

“You sure? It’s pretty fun,” Haruka shrugged, stealing the pillow and adding it to his pile.

 

“If it were that fun in Hell you wouldn’t be stalking an angel around the human world.”

 

“Mm, fair point.”

 

“Just… just cover yourself up and make sure to be out of here before Sousuke wakes up for good, okay? I do _not_ want to try to explain to him what the guy he picked up two days ago is doing in my bedroom at 6 a.m.”

 

“Fiiine.”

 

Haruka sighed into Rin’s (delicious smelling) pillow, eyes following Rin as he wandered around his bedroom, reaching into his drawers for some clothing. “Stop watching me,” Rin groused irritably, scowling at Haruka and his roving eyes.

 

“Are you going running?”

 

“Yeah. Land training is just as important as swimming itself,” Rin paused for a moment to stare at Haruka. “Turn the other way so I can change.”

 

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before, you know,” Haruka grumbled, sighing before rolling over, making sure he was fully covered with the blanket before grabbing for his Loosey-kun plushy.

 

“I am about 99% sure that you’ve never seen an angel naked,” Rin grumbled. “And no peeking, pervert!”

 

“A dick is a dick is a dick…” Haruka sighed out lazily, letting his eyes flit over to the mirror hanging over Rin’s closet door, frowning in disappointment when he realized he could only see Rin from the waist up. Oh well, good enough.

 

…The angel was _definitely_ not a disappointing view, that was for sure.

 

“Alright, I’m dressed,” Rin finally said, stepping over Haruka to go grab something from his dresser.

 

“That’s what you wear to go running?” Haruka mused aloud, eyes back on Rin, watching him make his way around the bedroom, grabbing his mp3 player and cellphone.

 

“Yeah, why?”

 

“Mmm, just wondering why you wear something under your shorts.”

 

“Huh? It prevents chafing. Does it look weird to you or something?”

 

“Mm, I just can’t see up your shorts with them on.”

 

Haruka felt the kick to his thigh before he realized Rin was doing it, yelping as Rin’s foot jammed into the meat of his leg. “O-oi! It’s not like I saw anything,” Haruka huffed.

 

“You still tried!”

 

“Whatever,” Haruka sighed out, nestling his face back into the warm pillow. It smelled so much like heaven...

 

“Jeez, just… just be out within the next hour or so, okay? And _don’t_ let Sousuke see you!”

 

“I know I know…”

 

“Alright then. Bye, Haru.”

 

Haruka watched Rin’s backside as he disappeared out the door, waiting for the door to close before curling back up with Loosey-kun and drifting right back off to sleep.

 

\--

 

“So… this is going to become a thing, isn’t it?” Rin sighed out the moment he exited the engineering building.

 

“Swimming first or lunch?” Haruka asked excitedly from his seat beneath the cherry blossom tree, tail flicking.

 

“I need something to eat before I can go swimming,” Rin sighed out, shaking his head as he walked up to Haruka, glancing down at the demon. “I’m not paying for your lunch again, you know.”

 

“Mm, that’s alright. I have money now,” Haruka shrugged, hauling himself to his feet, giving his butt a quick dust off with his hands.

 

“…Really? Where did you get money?” Rin asked suspiciously, reaching over to brush off a spot of dirt Haruka missed from his back before heading towards dining services.

 

“I took it from the guy last night,” Haruka explained easily, jogging slightly to catch back up to Rin.

 

He’d have to get used to actually _walking_ places for once.

 

“You _what_!?” Rin gasped, stopping in his tracks as his head shot to the side, throwing an incredulous look at Haruka.

 

“…What? I had sex with him, it’s not like he got nothing out of the deal,” Haruka shrugged, continuing to walk because, well, Rin was faster anyways. He’d catch up.

 

“Haru, you can’t take money from a person you had sex with!” Rin yelped, chasing after Haruka, running up to his side, red eyes never leaving the demon.

 

“Why not?”

 

“B-Because that’s prostitution!”

 

“…So?”

 

“Prostitution is _illegal_.”

 

“…So?”

 

“You have _got_ to give him back his money, Haru.”

 

“No. I earned it fair and square,” Haruka huffed, keeping his attention ahead of him.

 

“I’m pretty sure he already paid you with some of his life force, you know.”

 

“He got oral _and_ anal, he can stand to pay me twice.”

 

“Sh-shit! Don’t say stuff like that out loud, jeez, Haru!” Rin flushed, hand flying out as he flailed in embarrassment.

 

Haruka couldn’t help but snort lowly in amusement, flitting blue eyes over to Rin. “You’re _really_ sensitive, aren’t you?”

 

“I just don’t want to hear about your sex life! We’re in public, you know.”

 

“Mm, no one’s around,” Haruka shrugged in nonchalance.  

 

“I still don’t want to hear it…” Rin grumbled irritably.

 

“Why? Afraid it might turn you on?”

 

“What!? No! I’m an angel, sex is supposed to be, it’s sacred! Reserved for someone you love, _obviously_. I get that you’re an incubus and it’s how you feed, but I still don’t want to hear about it.”

 

“Fiiine.”

 

“So, uh… how have your classes been so far?” Rin asked a few minutes later as they stepped into the dining building, slipping into line together.

 

“Mm, not bad. Art history class was boring. I already lived through that stuff. Figure drawing was fun, though.”

 

“Well that’s good.”

 

“I think I gave the model an erection, though...”

 

“H-Haru!” Rin yelped, hand flying out to cover Haruka’s mouth, face flushed as he glanced between the students both in front of them and behind them, relieved to see that everyone else seemed to be too busy with their phones to pay attention to the conversation.

 

Haruka rolled his eyes, darting his tongue to lick Rin’s hand, pleased when Rin immediately yanked said hand away in disgust.

 

“Ew! What are you, five?” Rin groused, wiping his hand off dramatically on his jeans.

 

Haruka shrugged. “Got your hand off my mouth, didn’t it?”

 

“Ugh, you go first. Maybe if you’re fed it means you’ll stop being… well… you for like five minutes.”

 

Haruka shrugged once more, stepping in front of Rin, quickly ordering his mackerel bowl.

 

“…Mackerel again?”

 

“Yeah. Is there something wrong with that?”

 

“No, not exactly. Just... you can try other things, you know.”

 

“I don’t want to try other things.”

 

“But you might like something even more than mackerel. I mean let’s be real, you _should_ like something more than mackerel…” Rin trailed off, quickly putting in the order for his own meal.

 

“Why try something else that I might not like when I’ve already found something I do? Seems pointless.”

 

“You lead a very boring life, don’t you?” Rin muttered, pulling out his card, presenting it to the cashier. “Both of our meals.”

 

“I thought you said you weren’t going to pay for my meal.”

 

“You’re giving the guy his money back.”

 

“No I’m not.”

 

“Haru.”

 

“I don’t even know his name.”

 

“…You don’t know his name?”

 

“I don’t even know your roommate’s name, and his hands were down my pants. Your point?”

 

“Ugh.”

 

Haruka shrugged, reaching for the tray as soon as it was offered, immediately heading towards one of the empty tables. He waited for Rin to join him before breaking open his chopsticks, carefully holding them in his hand, shakily grabbing a hunk of the fish.

 

“Mm, much better today than yesterday, I see.”

 

“Still hard…” Haruka mumbled, working away at his fish. “So are you swimming today?”

 

“Mm, I swim every day.”

 

“And then after that, what then?”

 

“I can’t always be your source of entertainment, you know.”

 

“I know.”

 

Rin sighed, popping a bite of chicken into his mouth, chewing slowly and swallowing before continuing. “I have classwork to do. There was a movie I wanted to see that I couldn’t convince Sousuke to go to, so I might go see that….”

 

“A movie?” Haruka asked, ears perking up.

 

“Let me guess. You’ve never been to a movie theater, have you?”

 

Haruka shook his head quickly, eyes steady on Rin.

 

Rin sighed. “Aaaand you’d like to go, wouldn’t you?”

 

Haruka shrugged, attempting to feign indifference. “Doesn’t matter.”

 

“Oiiii. Fine, fine. We can go see a movie after swimming.”

 

“Really?” Haruka asked, eyes widening, tail flicking.

 

“Yeah. And seriously, can you really not turn that thing off?” Rin grumbled irritably, shoving another hunk of meat into his mouth.

 

“I told you, I can’t control it.”

 

“Ugh, well, we need to figure out what movie we’re seeing, then,” Rin mumbled, mostly to himself as he pulled out his cellphone.

 

“Why don’t we just see the movie you wanted to see?”

 

“…You don’t want to see that.”

 

“Hm? Why not?” Haruka prodded, head tilting in confusion.

 

“You just don’t, okay?” Rin snapped irritably, one hand still holding his chopsticks, the other scrolling through his phone for movie show times.

 

“But why don’t I?”

 

“It’s not your thing.”

 

“How do you know what my thing is?”

 

“It’s a stupid movie, I just thought it’d be funny or whatever...”

 

“Hm. Is it a scary movie? Does it involve demons? I’ve always wanted to watch a movie where humans write about demons...”

 

“What? No.”

 

“It is, isn’t it? Do you get scared easily, Rin? Not want me to see you panic over a movie?” Haruka smiled. “I could hold your hand if you need me to.”

 

“No! It’s not a scary movie, jeez. And I am _not_ holding your hand, either.” Rin slid his phone over to Haruka. “Those are the movies playing today. Pick whatever you want.”

 

“I want to see whatever movie you wanted to see,” Haruka said quickly, ignoring the phone.

 

“No.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because I said no.”

 

“Fine, I’ll just have to figure out which one it was, then.”

 

“What? Stop that!”

 

“Mmm, do you like kid cartoon movies, Rin?” Haruka asked, finally taking the phone, finger gliding over the screen as he idly worked through the movies.

 

“What? No, I’m 21. Not all of us love weird little animal creature… things, thanks.”

 

“And it’s not a scary movie…” Haruka hummed lightly to himself, continuing to scroll. “There’s no reason to be embarrassed by an action film.”

 

“I’m not embarrassed.”

 

“Sure,” Haruka smiled lightly, eyes suddenly going wide, shifting up to look at Rin. “It’s a romance movie, isn’t it?”

 

“N-No!”

 

“You’re blushing, Rin.”

 

“No, I am not!”

 

“Mmm, you like romance movies. No wonder your roommate wouldn’t go with you.”

 

“Sh-shut up! I just, I used to go all the time with my sister, okay? But she doesn’t live here so…”

 

“Aww, I’ll go see a romance movie with you, Rin.”

 

“No.”

 

“I could even hold your hand.”

 

“No!” Rin snapped, shaking his head. “Ugh, I hate you.”

 

“Mm, you’re an angel, you’re not allowed to hate.”

 

“Tch.” Rin frowned, head shifting away in irritation before finally speaking once more. “Ughhh. Okay. Fine, whatever, we can go see it together. But do _not_ hold my hand, damnit.”

 

“Fiiiine.”

 

\--

 

Rin was right. Haruka waiting outside the engineering building for him _did_ quickly become a thing. As weeks turned into months, waiting for Rin underneath that cherry blossom tree had become their new normal.

 

“Mm, how was your exam?” Haruka asked easily, taking a leisurely, steady gait alongside Rin.

 

“I kicked its ass, as expected.”

 

“Should you really be bragging? You _are_ a couple hundred years old, you should know more than a bunch of 20-year-old humans.”

 

“Hey! It’s not like they were teaching contemporary engineering the last time I was a guardian. Plus, I was stuck dealing with a bunch of political bullcrap and keeping my human from dying, so studying engineering wasn’t exactly in the cards.”

 

“When _were_ you a guardian last?”

 

“Mmm… I ‘died’ in 1908, shortly after my human passed. It was my first guardianship, though. How I ended up with a human that important on my first go around I’ll never know…”

 

“Important?” Haruka blinked in surprise.

 

“Yeah, she was a pretty big deal. Too bad historians like to make her out to be some despot or something,” Rin shrugged.

 

“She?”

 

“Yeah. I was in China that time, not Japan. Generally we’re sent places where our natural features will ‘blend in’ with the humans, so I’m pretty much relegated to places in Asia I’ll pass as a native from.”

 

“Interesting…”

 

“This go around is _much_ more relaxing, though. Well, it was, anyways. Until a demon showed up and decided to start stalking me.”

 

“Mm, is it really stalking when you wait around if I’m not here on time?”

 

“Shut up.”

 

“That’s what I thought,” Haruka smiled smugly, glancing over at Rin. “So what now?”

 

“Hm. We’re running out of things to do. Well, things that you haven’t done before, I mean. I already took you the theater, the aquarium, to the harbor, to the park. Though it’s not cherry blossom season, so I’ll have to take you again in April…” Rin hummed thoughtfully to himself, glancing around the campus for a moment. “Oh!”

 

“What?” Haruka asked, staring.

 

“The amusement park! It’s Friday and our classes are already over and it’s still early. If we leave now we could spend a few hours at the park!”

 

“Amusement park?”

 

“Yeah! C’mon,” Rin laughed, grabbing Haruka by the wrist and turning on his heels, dragging the demon in the opposite direction.

 

“Oi? R-Rin!”

 

“Come on, Haruka. Just trust me. I’ll show you a sight even a demon’s never seen before!”

 

“You’ve already shown me plenty of si- ack!”

 

\--

 

“I don’t think I have a stomach anymore…”

 

“I know, it’s so crazy. Aren’t roller coasters awesome?” Rin laughed, red eyes darting around the park, looking for their next stop.

 

“I fly on a daily basis, how can it feel so different…?”

 

“Come on, let’s go grab some dinner.”

 

“…How can you possibly think about eating right now?”

 

“Easy, this place has the _best_ hot dogs ever. There’s this little stand and they serve a special double dog there. It’s ridiculously good. You can’t come here and not try one,” Rin grinned, once again grabbing Haruka’s wrist, dragging him towards the hot dog vendor.

 

“O-Oi, Rin!”

 

“Isn’t it delicious?” Rin asked once they were both seated at a bench, hot dogs in hand, Haruka idly wondering how the hell he’d gotten forced into eating the monstrosity before him. He didn’t even _like_ meat that much.

 

“It’s okay…” Haruka mumbled idly, taking another small, awkward bite of the overstuffed hot dog.

 

“Mm, I should have known you didn’t have the palate to appreciate something this delicious.”

 

“Too much meat,” Haruka mumbled, eyes wandering around the park, watching people flit about.

 

“Now there’s something I never thought I’d hear an incubus say,” Rin teased affectionately. “Hmm, so what do you want to do next? For some reason I don’t think the teacups would be a good idea.”

 

“There are a lot of couples here,” Haruka mused aloud.

 

“Well yeah, a lot of people go on dates here,” Rin shrugged.

 

“They do?” Haruka asked, head tilting as he eyed Rin in playful suspicion.

 

“But friends go to parks, too! I didn’t take you here because, I mean, this is absolutely _not_ a date. We’re two friends hanging out because you’ve never been to a park before, jeez,” Rin snapped, hand rubbing awkwardly at the nape of his neck.

 

“You _have_ been surprisingly nice to me these last few months,” Haruka said thoughtfully, tail flicking, belying his amusement.

 

“I’m an angel, nice is in the job description.”

 

“Is throwing people out in their underwear also in the job description?”

 

“That was- oh whatever, you know what I mean. Stop being an asshole,” Rin grumbled, using his shoulder to bump Haruka’s. “Soooo… hm. Oh, I know! We could go play some games.”

 

“They have games here?”

 

“Yeah. We could play some of the shooting games, you can win stuffed animals and such. I could probably win you something. You like plushies, right?”

 

“…Why can’t I just win it myself?”

 

“Huh? Oh, I just figured it might be too hard,” Rin shrugged.

 

“Why don’t _I_ win _you_ something instead?”

 

Rin snorted. “You really think you can win me a plushy?”

 

“You seemed to think you could win me one, so yeah, sure I can.”

 

“Alright, fine. You’re on, Nanase! Winner gets the other a plushy!”

 

“Fine!”

 

Within a few minutes they were standing side-by-side, both armed with a toy gun, aimed at the wall full of targets. On the mark they both began shutting, clock winding down the minute until they were told to stop by the game attendant.

 

“Aaand it’s a tie! Congratulations, boys, you each get to pick one of the medium sized plushies we have here.”

 

“No way, we couldn’t have tied. I won by one, right?” Rin argued, glancing back and forth between the worker and Haruka.

 

“No, _I_ won by one,” Haruka argued quietly, brow furrowed.

 

“You both shot 13 targets, so you both win. Shouldn’t you just be happy you both get prizes?”

 

“No!” Haruka and Rin snapped in unison, glowering at one another.

 

“Just pick what you want, please,” the attendant sighed, shaking her head slightly.

 

“I want the Hello Kitty, then, for my sister,” Rin finally said, glancing over at the attendant.

 

“I thought winning meant getting the other person a plushy,” Haruka pointed out, gaze steady on Rin.

 

“What? Oh, huh, I guess you’re right. Fine then. Haru, I want the Hello Kitty so I can give it to my sister.”

 

“No.”

 

“What? Why?”

 

“I’m getting you the shark.”

 

“Seriously?”

 

“Yes. Because his teeth match yours. And also, sharks are kind of dumb.”

 

“H-Hey! Well fine, you get the dolphin, then, because they’re your horny asshole brethren.”

 

“Fine!”

 

“…So… a shark and a dolphin, then?” the attendant asked tentatively, grabbing both of the stuffed animals and awkwardly presenting them to the pair.

 

“Thank you,” they snapped out in unison, each grabbing their respective animal, staring at one another for a moment.

 

“We should play another game so I can prove to you how much better I am,” Rin grumbled irritably, tugging his shark toy to his chest.

 

Haruka snorted, idly petting the soft fabric of his dolphin toy. “Better you are at losing, sure.”

 

“Oh it is _so_ on. That game over there, right now.”

 

“Fine.”

 

“Fine!”

 

By the time they were done competing in games (they each won two games, to their mutual chagrin), had ridden a few more rides and watched the evening shift into night, they were approaching closing time at the park.

 

“Mm, guess we better head out,” Haruka mumbled idly, tail swishing, dolphin plush held tight to his chest. It wasn’t that he really _wanted_ the evening to be over, of course, but they couldn’t exactly force the park to stay open past closing.

 

“No wait, there’s one more ride I want to take you on!”

 

“Do we have time for that?”

 

“Sure! We just have to time it right, c’mon.”

 

Once again Haruka found his hand grabbed by Rin’s, though he noted to himself that this time Rin hadn’t taken him by the wrist, instead locking their palms together as he hastily dragged Haruka through the park.

 

“What is this?” Haruka asked once they’d finally stopped, slipping into a short line of a few other last-minute park-goers.

 

“It’s the Ferris wheel. You take little car thing up and you can see the entire park from the top. It’s amazing at night.”

 

“You _do_ realize we could just fly up if you wanted to look at the park at night?” Haruka pointed out, eyes still on the warm hand that had seemingly forgotten it was holding his own.

 

“I’m not taking out my wings and you know it,” Rin scoffed, finally releasing Haruka’s hand when they’d reached the front of the line. “Plus I wouldn’t want to be in the sky right now, anyways.”

 

Once inside Haruka glanced around, tail flicking, though it was less in excitement so much as ill-placed nervousness. He’d never really felt nervous around Rin before, honestly, but alone in that small cart, confined as they were, he could feel an awkwardness twisting in the pit of his belly. 

 

“I hope I timed this right. If I did you’re going to be impressed. Well… I think. You’re hard to impress, you know…” Rin mumbled awkwardly, hand scratching at the back of his neck, eyes staring out of the car as the wheel began moving.

 

“Have you been trying to impress me?” Haruka mumbled out, hand reaching instinctively for his tail, idly toying with the tip, trying to force down his welling nerves.

 

“Huh? No, of course not! I just… you said you were bored in Hell, before. And I guess since I’m the reason you left it, I just feel like… responsible? I don’t know, that sounds dumb. I guess it’s just that this is the first time in 21 years that I’ve had someone around that I can be honest with. Kind of hard being an angel and then being forced to live an entire life based around a lie. To have to pretend I’m a human like everyone else. I mean don’t get me wrong, I genuinely love my friends and my family, every guardianship is special, I think, just… yeah. Well whatever, I guess I’m just saying that if you gave up Hell to come bug me, you might as well actually enjoy the perks of running around as a human for a while. Until you get bored of it, anyways.”

 

“I won’t get bored,” Haruka sighed out quietly, eyes on Rin, noting that the redhead still hadn’t bothered to look back at him.

 

“We’re almost to the top,” Rin mumbled, staring out at the park beneath them with a small smile. “I think I timed it right.”

 

“Timed it right?” Haruka echoed, leaning forward slightly to get a better view out the window, eyes shifting between Rin and the stars.

 

A suddenly, loud crack ripped through the air for a moment before an explosion of color lit up the night sky.

 

“Awesome! I thought if we got here in time we’d get the best view of the show! They do a firework finale at the end of the night,” Rin grinned as more bright colors flashed around them. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

 

“Yeah... You’re beautiful…” Haruka mumbled, blue eyes glued to Rin, watching the redhead stare out the window, fireworks erupting behind him.

 

“You’re?” Rin blinked, glancing back at Haruka before groaning in irritation. “Ugh, not the ‘you’re beautiful’ crap again, please. I thought we were past this, Haru.”

 

“But you _are_ ,” Haruka choked out, air caught in his lungs, voice refusing to cooperate. They were confined in the small car together, and the longer they were in there the more it reeked of heaven, of Rin, and Haruka could just _feel_ himself getting drunk off that scent, his head beginning to spin. All he could see was Rin’s lovely, silky red hair shimmering under the fireworks as they reached a crescendo, dark eyes shiny and reflective, pink lips parted slightly and before Haruka could think about it he was _gone_.

 

By the time Rin stormed up to Haruka, sitting with his knees to his chest on a bench outside the Ferris wheel, Haruka had finally managed to calm himself down from his scent-induced high.

 

“What the hell was that, Haru?” Rin snapped out, standing before Haruka in irritation, shark plushy in hand. “I just had to use my magic on the poor ride attendant because of you. You can’t just teleport away when you freak out or whatever that was just now! Think about your actions, jeez, there are humans all over the place here. When you magically disappear _they notice_.”

 

“I’m sorry…” Haruka mumbled, fingers idly running over the fabric of the toy dolphin tucked under his knees, tail curved tight against his thigh in shame.

 

He was going to kiss Rin. If he hadn’t have panicked, if he hadn’t had the foresight to teleport out of there, he would have grabbed Rin and kissed him.

 

_Fuck_.

 

“Ugh, whatever, it’s fine. Just next time, if you’re going to freak out like that, can you at least use your own magic on the humans that got caught up in your crap? I’m not actually allowed to, you know. I’m a human right now and Heaven frowns upon idiot angels that can’t handle being a guardian without using their magic.”

 

“Do they send you back for that?” Haruka asked, eyes wide, voice wavering in worry. He hadn’t meant to get Rin in trouble, he’d just, he’d panicked. He hadn’t actually thought about the repercussions of his actions.

 

Was Rin going to have to leave?

 

“What? No, of course not. This was pretty minor. I’ll probably just have an angelic visitor drop by. Higher up. Give me a lecture on improper use of magic and whatever. It’ll be an annoying slap on the wrist, but they won’t take me away from Sousuke unless I _really_ fuck up. We should get going, though.”

 

Haruka sighed in relief, glancing up at Rin. “You’re not mad at me, then?”

 

“Well. I’m still pretty annoyed because you’re stupid, but no. C’mon, we have to get going, it’s late and we still have to catch the train.”

 

“We’re actually going back together?” Haruka blinked in surprise. He’d just assumed he’d be flying home tonight.

 

“Well we came together, so I don’t see why not,” Rin shrugged, offering out his shark-less hand.

 

Carefully Haruka took that warm hand, letting Rin drag him to his feet.

 

He made sure to grab his dolphin toy before allowing himself to be led from the park.

 

\--

 

Six months arrived much sooner than Haruka had expected, with summer shifting into autumn before drifting into the early days of winter.

 

Rin’d helped him find a job (part time work at a fast-food joint that Rin _may_ have made a habit of dropping in on just to bug him at), and with careful doctoring of some university documents that may or may not have said that he’d been an exemplary enough student to earn a full ride as well as a stipend, he’d managed to secure the funds needed to rent himself a tiny hole-in-the-wall apartment with a roommate.

 

A very _loud_ roommate.

 

Needless to say, rooming with Mikoshiba Momotarou meant staying out of the apartment as long as possible, so Haruka had continued his near-daily ritual of waiting outside of Rin’s building for the redhead.

 

Their arrangement had become routine. They didn’t always go out to parks or the aquarium or whatnot, often they’d just go swim for a few hours or work on homework together, but regardless, most days ended up with them spending at least a few hours together outside of class. It’d become comfortable, honestly, and Haruka found a warmth in the familiarity, in the easy rapport that had developed between them.

 

So when he found himself outside the engineering building, bundled up, sitting beneath the cherry blossom tree, reading a (terrible) book about an old man and the sea, he hadn’t expected anything different to happen that day. Rin would eventually walk out, bitch about it getting too cold too fast, and then they’d hit the pool or whatever. Nothing would change.

 

Of course, reality rarely met expectations.

 

“Haru…?” a soft voice called out, knocking Haruka’s attention away from his book as he jumped instinctively to his feet.

 

“M-Makoto? What are you doing here?” Haruka asked quickly, shoving his book into his backpack, staring at his best friend.

 

“I just came to check up on you, Haru. You promised to check in. I know you’re terrible with telling time but check in generally means say hi or something before six months have passed…”

 

“I’m sorry,” Haruka mumbled out, slinging his backpack over his shoulder, eyes darting back and forth between Makoto’s eyes and the door to the engineering building Haruka could barely see over one of those broad shoulders.

 

“It’s alright, Haru. I was just worried. You haven’t been back to Hell in six months. That’s… that’s a really long time for most demons, much less _you_. You’d never left Hell for more than a few days before now. I was afraid something might have happened with that angel of yours...”

 

“Ah, no. He’s… he’s fine.”

 

Makoto tilted his head back a bit in surprise. “You still talk to him?”

 

Haruka nodded slightly. “Yeah.”

 

“Is something wrong, Haru?” Makoto asked carefully, head dropping to the side in worry, green eyes watching Haruka in mild concern. “You seem nervous…”

 

“I’m fi-“ Haruka cut himself off as soon as Rin stepped out of the building, waiting for a moment until Rin noticed him. Their gazes met for a moment, Rin’s eyes suddenly widening as he darted right back into the building “Rin!”

 

Makoto jerked his head around at the sound, catching a glimpse of Rin as he disappeared back into the building. “Was that him?”

 

Haruka nodded shortly, frowning. It made sense, of course, that Rin saw a strange demon and bolted, but he’d like to have maybe introduced the pair or something. Makoto _was_ his best friend, it wasn’t like he was going to hurt Rin.

 

“I’m sorry, Haru. I didn’t realize you were waiting for him. You should go catch up to him! I didn’t mean to scare him away.”

 

“Mm, it’s fine, Makoto. I’m sure he’s gone out the back by now anyways. Why don’t we go grab lunch?”

 

“Lunch…?”

 

“Human food is pretty good,” Haruka shrugged.

 

“Uh, sure, alright! Why not?” Makoto smiled, letting Haruka lead the way, clearly surprised when Haruka opted to walk the pair of them towards dining services. “So you’re friends with him now, then?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“That’s good, Haru. I didn’t see much of him, but he’s very pretty.”

 

“You should see his true form. He’s stunning.”

 

“Stunning?” Makoto repeated, raising a curious eyebrow at the very complimentary word choice.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Mm, interesting. So you’ve been enjoying it, then? Being a human?” Makoto asked quietly, following Haruka into the dining facilities.

 

“It’s not bad,” Haruka shrugged, ordering himself a mackerel bowl while Makoto ordered a pork one. “I have an apartment now. And a job.”

 

“You have a _job_?” Makoto asked in surprise, staring as Haruka paid for both their meals, grabbing two pairs of disposable chopsticks before heading towards the table that had turned into his and Rin’s regular spot.

 

“Yeah. I make hamburgers.”

 

“…Hamburgers?”

 

Haruka nodded. “Rin comes in and bothers me sometimes. He always tries to order smiles, though, instead of food…” Haruka huffed, taking a seat before breaking into his chopsticks.

 

“He orders smiles?”

 

“We have to smile for customers. They’re free.”

 

“Uhm, alright,” Makoto laughed softly, taking a seat across from Haruka, immediately breaking into his own utensils. “So you’re a student now, then?”

 

“Yeah. I study art. I’m trying to get Rin to let me draw him for my figure drawing class but he won’t let me,” Haruka grumbled quietly between bites of mackerel.

 

“Art? That sounds very you, Haru.”

 

“I guess,” Haruka shrugged, going silent for a few moments before speaking once more. “Oh. I took your advice.”

 

“My advice?”

 

“I stopped eating bottom feeders.”

 

“Really? That’s good, Haru!”

 

“I can go longer between meals now. It’s nice. Finding humans all the time was becoming too much of a hassle…”

 

Haruka smelled Rin before he saw him, glancing up to watch the angel tentatively head towards their table, tray of food in hand.

 

“Rin?” Haruka asked in surprise, immediately scooting his chair over so that Rin could come join them at their table.

 

“Uhm, hi,” Rin said carefully, walking straight and proud, though his nervousness was belied by his eyes. “I thought… I thought I’d come see who your friend is,” Rin explained awkwardly, setting down his tray at the table, eyes on Makoto.

 

“I’m Makoto. I didn’t mean to interrupt your plans today, I swear! Haru just said he’d be in touch when he left, but I hadn’t heard from him in six months so I thought I’d check up on him.”

 

“You didn’t tell anyone what you were up to?” Rin blinked, pulling up a chair before taking a seat.

 

Haruka shrugged. “I forgot.”

 

“Oi, Haru…”

 

“It’s fine! We’ve been best friends since we were babies, I’m used to his disappearing act. He’s just never disappeared to go bother an angel, so I was, well, understandably a little worried.”

 

“That makes sense. So you’re just here for Haru, then? I mean… you’re an incubus too, right?”

 

Makoto nodded quickly, tail swaying as he took a bite of his pork. “I can’t hurt you. Not that I would want to, of course! You’re much more dangerous to me than I am to you.”

 

“Yeah… I mean, I won’t hurt you either! I don’t do stuff like that, you’re just uh, pretty big and from far away I didn’t know so I was cautious…”

 

“It’s no problem, Rin. It’s nice to finally meet you. Haru was pretty enraptured last time we talked,” Makoto smiled softly.

 

“Oi, jeez. Not the beautiful crap again…” Rin groaned, shoving a hunk of chicken into his mouth.

 

“You’re the first angel either of us have ever met,” Makoto laughed, glancing over at Haruka, noting that his best friend had yet to look at him since Rin arrived. “I’m sorry if we’re both a little… intrigued.”

 

“You should show Makoto your wings.”

 

“No! I’m not taking out my wings, jeez. It’s been six months, Haru, I’m not suddenly going to start dragging them out and showing them off to your friends,” Run huffed, nudging Haruka with his shoulder.

 

“Mm, was worth a shot,” Haruka shrugged, distractedly eating his mackerel.

 

“Mmm, I must say, I’m surprised how well you two seem to be getting along,” Makoto chuckled quietly, glancing between the pair. “I don’t know that I’ve ever heard of a demon and an angel becoming, well, friends.”

 

“Yeah, well, not like Haru took no for an answer,” Rin laughed, shaking his head.

 

“You like having me around,” Haruka argued quietly.

 

“Fine, fine. I guess you _do_ make things more interesting around here,” Rin grinned. “Anyways, I’m going to see if they’ll give me a box for the rest of this, I have an advanced calculus exam tomorrow I should really be studying for. It was nice meeting you, Makoto.”

 

“Likewise, Rin,” Makoto smiled, nodding at the redhead as he gathered up his tray and disappeared. “Mm, you seem very fond of him, Haru,” Makoto mused, attention drifting back to Haruka.

 

“He’s alright,” Haruka shrugged, attention back on his meal.

 

“Alright? That’s all?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Mm, okay.”

 

“What?”

 

“Oh, nothing. So are you going to show me around, then?”

 

“I guess,” Haruka shrugged. “My roommate should be gone for the next few hours, we can go back to my apartment…”

 

“Ooh, that sounds fun! We can catch up in private there.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

\--

 

“Haru, it’s so _small_! This is the size of your closet back in Hell!”

 

“It’s not that bad,” Haruka shrugged, slipping off his shoes and hanging up his coat before stepping inside. “I sleep out here on the futon. There’s a small bedroom that’s my roommate’s. He’s messy, so I gave him the room so long as he keeps his mess in there.”

 

“That makes sense but… still, Haru. Are you _really_ happy here?”

 

“Hm? Yeah. I wouldn’t still be here otherwise,” Haruka shrugged, moving to go turn the heater on.

 

“Do you at least enjoy your job, then?”

 

“Of course not. I make burgers and deal with customers,” Haruka sighed, taking a seat at the small kotatsu.

 

“Er, alright. Good classes, though?” Makoto asked, frowning in concern.

 

“They’re okay.”

 

“Uhm…Do you have nice friends here, at least?”

 

“Mm, not really. Momo’s alright. And Rin.”

 

“So… you live in a terrible apartment-“

 

“It’s not that bad.”

 

“So you live in a _subpar_ apartment,” Makoto continued, awkwardly moving to take a seat across from Haruka. “And you have a job you don’t like. And classes are only okay. And you also have no friends.”

 

“Mm, basically.”

 

“So then…why are you still here, Haru?”

 

“I told you, it’s not that bad. Rin takes me places.”

 

Makoto sighed, shaking his head. “So basically the _only_ thing you like down here is Rin, then?”

 

“I didn’t say that,” Haruka huffed defensively, eyes drifting off to stare near Makoto’s leg.

 

Makoto blinked for a moment, wondering why Haruka was no longer looking at him, glancing over only to see a huge black bug crawling near him. “A-Ahhh!!” Makoto cried out, stumbling to crawl away from the thing. “What _is_ that!?”

 

“It’s just Pyuunsuke the Fifth. He’s one of Momo’s pet beetles. He’s good at escaping,” Haruka shrugged, climbing to his feet and collecting the massive stag beetle before disappearing into Momotarou’s room to put the creature away.

 

“So you also live with a bunch of _bugs_ , too?” Makoto wheezed out, shivering at the memory of the beetle that’d been put away.

 

“Momo’s studying entomology,” Haruka explained nonchalantly as he wandered back into the cramped living area. “At least they’re quiet, unlike him…”

 

“I just… I’m just trying to understand everything, to get something cleared up, Haru. What… what _is_ your relationship with Rin, exactly?” Makoto finally asked, scooting back to his spot in front of the kotatsu, waiting for Haruka to re-join him.

 

“Hm? We’re friends.”

 

“Just friends,” Makoto repeated.

 

“Yeah.”

 

Makoto sighed again, lolling his neck for a moment, searching for the right words. “Haru, I think you’re playing a dangerous game here.”

 

“Why? Just because Rin’s an angel doesn’t mean he’ll hurt me. Angels aren’t supposed to kill. It’s how they fall, apparently.”

 

“You’re playing a dangerous game because you’re _falling in love_ with an angel!” Makoto finally blurted out, green eyes immediately looking down, unable to meet Haruka’s. “You’re just hurting yourself by letting this continue, Haru. He’s an angel, he’ll never love someone like us back. I mean, we’re incubi. We’re not even supposed to be _capable_ of romantic love…”

 

Haruka’s eyes widened immediately, chest tightening, breath caught in his throat as soon as Makoto said those three magical words.

 

Makoto was _wrong_.

 

Just because he wanted to kiss Rin didn’t mean he was _in love_ with him. He was an incubus and Rin was stunning. Wouldn’t it be weirder for him to _not_ want to kiss the most beautiful thing he’d ever laid eyes on in his nearly 500 years of existing?

 

“I am _not_ falling in love with him,” Haruka choked out, but he could hear the meekness in his own voice, fingers clenching instinctively into a fist, caught in an emotional flux between terror and anger. How _dare_ Makoto show up and assume he knew the nature of Haruka’s relationship with Rin?

 

Nevermind that he was actually _right_.

 

“Haru…”

 

“Stop acting like you know everything, Makoto!” Haruka snapped, scowling at his best friend. “Stop sticking your nose in other people’s business!”

 

“Haru…?”

 

“Did you come here just to tell me that? Just to pretend like you know everything that’s happened these last six months? You have _no idea_ what’s going on here,” Haruka snapped, climbing to his feet with a huff. “I’m leaving.”

 

“Haru? Wait! Where are you going?”

 

“To find Rin.”

 

\--

 

For all his dramatics, however, Haruka hadn’t actually _succeeded_ in finding Rin that afternoon. He’d spent a few hours wandering campus, had even peeked into Rin’s apartment windows, and yet there was no sign of the redhead in any of his usual hangouts. Frustrated, Haruka had returned home in the evening without seeing Rin, noting that Makoto had long-since returned to Hell.

 

His inability to find Rin had given him some much-needed cool off time, however, allowing him to calm down, to stop simmering in his irritation and instead focus on the fact that, well, Makoto was actually _right_.

 

He wasn’t sure when it had happened, really, when his very overt sexual attraction to Rin had shifted into something more.

 

_So much more_.

 

When had Rin become the center of his universe, his primary source of entertainment, and, honestly, the only positive in his pathetically mundane life?

 

He _had_ to see Rin. Had to talk to him. Had to figure out what exactly this _thing_ between them was.

 

So Haruka waited.

 

He waited impatiently outside the engineering building, shifting nervously from foot-to-foot underneath the barren cherry blossom tree.

 

By the time Rin walked out, Haruka could feel the panic beginning to well in his chest, heart thumping erratically, fingers nervously wringing the hem of his scarf.

 

“Uh, you alright, Haru?” Rin asked as he approached, brow furrowed with worry.  

 

“I… talk…” Haruka choked out awkwardly, trying to formulate a sentence but damnit, the minute he laid eyes on Rin all common sense, all reason, fell right out of his head.

 

“Talk?” Rin frowned.

 

“We need to- to talk.”

 

“To talk? Is this about Makoto’s visit yesterday? You don’t have to go back, do you?” Rin asked, nervousness clear in his voice, though unlike Haruka he at least managed to keep his words somewhat steady.

 

“I…” Haruka tried again, mouth suddenly cotton-dry, tongue fumbling.

 

Why couldn’t he just _say it_?

 

“Uhm, Haru, I’m getting a little worried over here…” Rin mumbled out after another silent moment, standing awkwardly in front of the demon.

 

“Rin. I… I…” Haruka swallowed hard before he was moving, running entirely off impulse, palms of his hands coming to rest on each of Rin’s cheeks as he crushed their mouths together.

 

If he couldn’t find the words he’d just, he’d just _show_ Rin, then.

 

It was impulsive.

 

It was _stupid_.

 

And then suddenly everything around Haruka was white, was blindingly bright, and though he could _feel_ Rin pull away he couldn’t _see_ him do it, too caught up in squeezing his eyes shut, in trying to ride out the blinding storm. It took a few moments before the light began to dim once more, and reluctantly, carefully Haruka opened his eyes.

 

The first thing he noticed were Rin’s stunned, wide red eyes, his mouth hanging open in shock, breath coming out in shallow pants.

 

For a moment they just stared at one another before finally Haruka noticed the wings, the giant, beautiful, _glorious_ wings that he’d been coveting for the last six months.

 

Dimly he could hear gasps in the background, shrieks of surprise, students shouting in a mix of confusion and intrigue.

 

At first he couldn’t understand their shock, because Rin _always_ kept up a barrier of magic, so there was no way they were seeing the wings Haruka was.

 

And then a blur of pink fluttered into his line of vision and Haruka blinked for a moment, finally looking up, looking around, and realizing that every cherry blossom tree that lined the campus was in full bloom, petals drifting through the cold winter sky.

 

“Rin…?” Haruka finally choked out, attention drifting back to Rin, still frozen in place, wings open and wide.

 

For another few moments Rin stood there, unwavering, before finally red eyes settled on Haruka and, with a look of pure confusion, of _fear_ , Rin disappeared.

 

“Rin!” Haruka shouted after him, cursing under his breath because there was absolutely no way he could keep up with Rin’s magic. If Rin had taken to the sky, sure, but Rin’d teleported, had disappeared, leaving nothing but a few fluttering pink petals in his wake.

 

Immediately Haruka’s mind began churning because he had to find Rin, _now_. He didn’t have the time to wait around- what if Rin went back to Heaven? He couldn’t follow him there. What if he _never saw Rin again_?

 

He was flying towards Rin’s apartment before he even realized what he was doing, trying to figure out where Rin may have gone, where he could possibly be hiding. Unlike himself, Rin’s magical range was _much_ further, and honestly Rin could be anywhere by now.

 

When peering into Rin’s window failed to reveal the redhead Haruka sighed, forcing himself to head to the front door of the apartment, giving it a loud knock.

 

The 20 seconds it took for Sousuke to answer the front door were some of the longest seconds of Haruka’s life, and he chose to blatantly ignore the confused stare as Sousuke realized who it was.

 

“…What are _you_ doing here?” Sousuke asked with a scowl. “I’m sorry Rin threw you out in your underwear but that was like six months ago, it’s a little late to come looking for an apolo-“

 

“Have you seen Rin?” Haruka blurted out immediately.

 

“What?”

 

“Is Rin here?”

 

“Huh? What do you need Rin for?” Sousuke questioned, frowning in skepticism.

 

“I need to see him.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Just answer the question!” Haruka snapped out, voice rough and pleading.

 

“Jeez, shit, calm down. No, he’s not here. He should be on campus, his class just ended like ten minutes a-“

 

Haruka was bolting back down the hallway of the apartment complex without bothering to let Sousuke finish his sentence, darting out into the street before throwing up a magical barrier and taking to the air.

 

Next Haruka checked the disappointingly empty natatorium, following by dining facilities, then the gym, and finally a quick, couple kilometer flight around Rin’s normal jogging route, just in case.

 

“Where _are_ you, Rin?” Haruka growled to himself, impatience building.

 

Next he checked the arcade.

 

Then the harbor.

 

Then the city park, followed by the aquarium.

 

He even flew around the amusement park once, just in case. Even the hot dog vendor had let him down.

 

He’d thought that would be the right one, the amusement park, but he’d been disappointingly wrong. Desperate and increasingly feeling the welling sense of defeat, Haruka flew up to the top of one of the city’s penthouses, looking for a skyline view, for any clue as to where Rin could have gone.

 

Haruka took a seat on the ledge of the roof, feet dangling, dusk having drifted into twilight as the lights of the city began to come alive.

 

“Where did you go…?” Haruka sighed out, curling in on himself, the winter’s night bitterly cold. “Where could you possibly be hiding, Rin?”

 

And then he saw it.

 

He _remembered_ it.

 

_“If you don’t leave me alone, I’m going to go hide in the church or something, demon.”_

 

When Haruka opened the double doors leading into the church, his eyes were immediately drawn to the altar, to the backside of the radiant, glowing figure standing there, surrounded by dimly lit candles, wings sprawled out.

 

“Rin…” Haruka choked out, following Rin’s gaze upwards, to the beautiful stained-glass windows above them.

 

“You shouldn’t be here, you know. In a house of God,” Rin mumbled quietly, eyes never leaving the glass.

 

“If I burn I burn,” Haruka whispered out, feet moving on their own, bringing him down the length of that aisle to stand before Rin. “Rin, I’m so-“

 

“I should have felt dirty. Or violated. Angry, even. That… that was my first kiss and angels, we’re supposed to be pure creatures. It’s sinful to kiss people you aren’t in love with.”

 

“I shouldn’t ha-“

 

“But I _didn’t sin_ ,” Rin choked out, eyes still set firmly on that stained glass, candlelight flickering around them, shadows wavering along beautiful white wings.

 

“Rin…?”

 

“I _didn’t sin_ , Haru. It’s not a sin for an angel to kiss someone they’re in love with and I, _I didn’t sin_ ,” Rin choked out, voice wavering.

 

“I forced you though, Rin.”

 

“It doesn’t fucking matter!” Rin snapped, finally jerking around to face Haruka, wings almost knocking the demon square off his feet. “We’re not supposed to… we’re not supposed to fall in love with demons…” Rin choked out, jaw clenching, tears welling in his eyes as he struggled to fight them back, falling back to take a seat along the altar steps.

 

“We’re not supposed to fall in love at all…” Haruka whispered out, instinctively dropping to his knees in front of Rin, blue eyes looking imploringly at that increasingly messy face.

 

Nervously he reached out, dipping his thumbs under Rin’s wet eyes, brushing away the pooling tears.

 

“What do we do now, Haru?” Rin sniffled, wrist moving to rub at his nose.

 

“Can I… can I touch them?” Haruka asked, right hand moving to hover near one of Rin’s wings. “I won’t hurt them.”

 

Silently Rin nodded, rubbing the tears from his eyes as Haruka gentle ran his finger through those beautiful feathers.

 

“They’re like silk…” Haruka mumbled in awe, gasping lightly in surprise as Rin’s face dropped forward, forehead resting on one of Haruka’s shoulders.

 

Haruka inhaled lightly as one of Rin’s hand wandered to his own wings, fingers gently running along their curved edges.

 

“They’re so smooth…” Rin mumbled to himself, pulling his head away from Haruka’s shoulder only to move both his hands up to settle along each of Haruka’s temples, thumbs gently idling over Haruka’s horns. “You’ve got so many extra parts,” Rin laughed out awkwardly, eyes glancing downwards towards Haruka’s ever-flicking tail.

 

“Rin…?” Haruka asked carefully, fingers still gingerly toying along soft wings.

 

“Y-Yeah?”

 

“Can I kiss you again?”

 

“I…” Rin swallowed hard, glancing away for a moment before slowly nodding, fingers clenching nervously around Haruka’s horns.

 

Haruka moved slower this time, mindful of Rin’s nerves, of his _own_ nerves, as he brought their lips together. The kiss was light, imploring, far more innocent and less demanding than any kiss he’d ever had before. Rin’s lips were soft, _so soft_ , warm and silky and tinged with the salty taste of tears that had escaped down pale cheeks.

 

By the time Haruka pulled away Rin was panting lightly, eyes shut, fingers squeezing down on those curved horns.

 

“Rin?” Haruka asked, voice wavering slightly with worry, frown settling over his face.

 

“It doesn’t hurt…” Rin mumbled to himself, shaking his head lightly.

 

“Kisses aren’t supposed to hurt, Rin,” Haruka blinked in confusion.

 

“I meant falling.”

 

“Falling?” Haruka asked, head tilting.

 

Rin’s eyes opened slowly, his head shifting, glancing over at his wings. “They’re still white!?”

 

“Yeah? Why wouldn’t they be?” Haruka paused for a moment in confusion until suddenly it clicked, eyes widening. “You thought you were going to fall, Rin? And you _still_ let me kiss you?”

 

“Well yeah. I mean… I guess. Maybe. Shit, Haru, _they’re still white_ ,” Rin groaned in relief, hands dropping from Haruka’s horns as his head thumped down along Haruka’s shoulder.

 

“So… what now then, Rin?” Haruka asked carefully, fingers still roving along those soft wings, occasionally sliding up Rin’s back and neck to toy with a few strands of silky red strands of hair.

 

“I guess we uh, do it again?” Rin flushed, placing an idle, embarrassed kiss along Haruka’s shoulder.

 

“Mm, that sounds nice, Rin.”

 

\--

 

“So, in conclusion, you are _definitely_ not breaking any rules, Rinrin! Haru’s not a fallen angel, and love is love!” Nagisa grinned from his perch on Kisumi’s lap.

 

“Ugh, that’s a relief. Kind of shocking, but still a relief. I thought maybe my falling was just like… delayed or something, when it didn’t happen last night. I’ve been freaking out all day.”

 

“Those are _all_ the rules you guys have to obey as angels?” Haruka asked, staring at the massive tome spread open on his tiny kotatsu.

 

“Yeah, it’s kind of ridiculous, really, but I guess it’s not _too_ bad. It’s in our nature after all,” Kisumi grinned, fingers idly toying through Nagisa’s blond curls. “Plus, well, it gets a lot easier when you’re in love. All of the rules about kissing are no longer a problem. And sex, of course!”

 

Rin flushed immediately, hand smacking palming his face. “Kisumi, we have _not_ been thinking about that yet, thanks.”

 

“I have,” Haruka mumbled quietly, earning himself a stare through Rin’s fingers.

 

“It’s been less than a day, Haru,” Rin snapped, shaking his head, hand sliding up to run through messy red hair.

 

Haruka shrugged. “I’m an incubus, I’ve been thinking of sex with you since we met.”

 

“O-Oi! Haru, my best friends are _right here_ ,” Rin snapped embarrassedly, face flushing.

 

“Oh, we don’t mind at all! Carry on, please! This is _very_ entertaining for us,” Nagisa grinned cheerfully as Kisumi nodded along in agreeance.

 

“You both suck,” Rin grumbled irritably.  

 

“I mean you have to feed him eventually, Rinrin. Hmm, I wonder how long sex with an angel can sustain an incubus for?”

 

“Oi! We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, jeez!”

 

“Mm, I’ll be patient, Rin. Whenever you’re ready,” Haruka said easily, reaching out to take Rin’s hand in his own, giving it a light squeeze.

 

“Ugh, thank you, Haru.”

 

“Awww, so cuuuute!” Kisumi cooed, earning another glare from Rin.

 

“Though they’re not wrong, I _will_ need to feed at some point,” Haruka mumbled pointedly, clearing his throat as his eyes drifted to the side.

 

“Well! That certainly sounds like the cue for us to leave, doesn’t it Kissy?” Nagisa smiled cheerfully, climbing to his feet before offering Kisumi a hand, tugging his partner up.

 

“Let us know how it goes, Rin,” Kisumi grinned, winking playfully. “We’ll want _all_ the details, of course. It’s been so long since the three of us have hung out together.”

 

“Wh-what!? There won’t be any details, you assholes!”

 

“It was nice meeting you, Haru!” Nagisa grinned, earning a nod of agreement from the demon.

 

“Bye you two!” Kisumi smiled, taking Nagisa’s hand before both disappearing.

 

“Tch, jerks…” Rin grumbled, glancing awkwardly over at Haruka. “You aren’t really expecting like… right now, right?”

 

Haruka snorted lightly, shaking his head. “Of course not, Rin. I fed a day ago, it’s fine.”

 

“Alright, good. Because I’m just… yeah, it’s only been a day…”

 

“Mm, I know.”

 

“So uhm… what do we do now, then?”

 

“We could always go swimming,” Haruka mused quietly.

 

“You know, you’re right, it _has_ been a few days since I kicked your ass in the pool.”

 

“As if you could.”

 

“H-Hey! Fine, race you to the pool! Last one there buys the other dinner!” Rin grinned before disappearing from sight.

 

“W-Wait up! That’s not fair, you can teleport further! Rin. Rin!”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> You better believe that the spontaneous cherry blossoms blooming in the middle of winter have been ALL OVER the news. Scientists are baffled. 
> 
> Also I hope no one minds my random side pairing of KisuNagi! I LOVE RANDOM RAREPAIRS, but I didn't want to tag it because I didn't want to give false hope to any actual rarepair shippers that wanted real content. Same reason why I didn't tag the (brief) SouHaru moment. Or the one-sided SouRin. I hate invading the pairing tags with non-content for said pairing!


End file.
